Welt turning apparatus



Nov. 25, 1952 L. BROWN ETAL WELT TURNING APPARATUS Filed May 17, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET l 9 F/G 2. A V

' 24 9 i I 4- 2a l/ 9 I Inveniorj WWWM B Qi Nov. 25, 1952 L. BROWN 'ETAL 2,618,949

WELT TURNING APPARATUS Filed May 17, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 Z Invented Patented Nov. 25, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Lynam, Mapperley, Nottingham, England, assignors to William Cotton Limited, Loughborough, England Application May 17, 1950, Serial No. 162,450 In Great Britain May 18, 1949 8 Claims.

This invention concerns improvements in and relating to welt turning apparatus and is primarily concerned with Cottons patent and other straight bar knitting machines having welt turning apparatus of the type comprising a series of hooked welting instruments which receive thread loops or kinks of an initial welt course, are moved away from the needles at the plain side thereof during the production of at least a portion of the welt fabric and are subsequently advanced to the needles to permit the initial course to be applied to the latter in the act of turning the welt, a bight of the welt fabric being tensioned beneath the instruments at an intermediate stage in the production of the welt by means of a welt stick or rod and suitable attached tensioning means so that the loops or kinks held by the instruments are tensioned away from the needles against stops or catches provided on or in association with the instruments.

In this and other types of welt turning apparatus, the hooked ends of the welting instruments move into and out of spaces between the needles and if, as is usual, knocking-over bits are employed, such knocking-over bits are lowered slightly to permit the desired movements of the welting instruments. As the instruments are withdrawn however, it is desirable for the knocking-over bits to be raised to their normal position and the disadvantage exists that the welting instruments may be fouled by the knocking-over bits.

An object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for shogging the welt bar endwise, in one direction as it is advanced towards and in the opposite direction as it is retracted from the needle line. The invention therefore provides in a Cottons patent or other straight bar knitting machine, a welt bar, end members thereon each pivoted to swing about an axis normal to the length of the bar, a stop on each end member whereof that on one member is in advance of its pivot and that on the other member is at the rear of its pivot, guides for engagement by the stops in movement of the bar towards and away from the needle line, and means, acting on said end members, for advancing the bar towards and retracting it from the needle line. It will be understood that the last said means can only advance the bar towards the needle line by force applied to the end members and tending to pivot them in a predetermined direction in relation to the bar itself. This will cause one stop to tend to move away from its guide and the other stop to press against the other guide with the result that the bar is moved or shogged endwise; as the bar is retracted from the needle line the conditions are reversed and the bar is shogged in the other direction. Thus the bar may readily be shogged to align the instruments with the spaces between the needles when the bar advances and with the needles as the bar retracts. Desirably limit stops are provided for limiting the extent of the shogging motions, and these stops may act by limiting the pivotal movement of the end members.

The above and other features of the invention are set forth in the appended claims and are disclosed in the detailed description given, by way of example, of the particular embodiment illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of mechanism according to the invention showing sufiicient of the adjacent parts of a knitting machine to permit the latter to be identified;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the upper part of Figure 1;

Figures 3 to 5 are detail plan views showing the shogging operation of the welt bar, and

Figure 6 is a detail sectional plan on an enlarged scale of one end of the welt bar.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown as being incorporated in a straight bar knitting machine according to co-pending patent application, Serial No. 162,447. Only sufficient of the machine is shown to permit it to be identified but attention is directed to the table I, frame member 2, main cam shaft 3, needles 4, sinkers 5 and knocking-over bits 6, these elements being of conventional kind. In conventional manner, the machine may comprise a plurality of divisions, each arranged to knit a selvedged blank (although the invention is of course applicable to a single unit machine having a single division of needles for knitting a single blank) and in Figure 2 there is shown mechanism for a representative division; certain elements of the mechanism (e. g. shafts) will extend along a plurality of divisions as will be obvious to one skilled in the art.

Considering now the mechanism for a representative division and referring especially to Figure 1, the welt bar is shown at 1 and welting instruments at 8; these may be as described in the aforesaid patent application. For imparting movement to the welt bar 7 to and from the needles 4, the welt bar l is provided at each end with a peg 9 which engages in a cleft It of a forked arm i i all each side of the division. The forked arms I i are movable about their pivots, to advance the welt bar 3 towards and to retract it from the needle line, by mechanism such for example as the mechanism shown which comprises a cam 25 on the cam shaft 3, truck lever l2 and chain I3 connected to a rocking shaft I 4, and mechanisms I5 connecting the rocking shaft to the fork levers II. Bias may be applied to the shaft I4 by a weighted cord I6. Truck shogging fork mechanism indicated generally by the reference numeral I! or other suitable mechanism may be provided for rendering the fork levers II operative and inoperative at desired times.

Referring now to Figures 3 to 6, in order to shog the welt bar I in one direction, as it retracts from the needles, so as to bring the welting instruments 8 into line withthe needles 4 and in the reverse direction, as it advances at a later stage, so as to bring the welting instruments 8 into line with the spaces between the needles, the

two pegs 9 at the ends of the welt bar 1 are carried by end members I8, I 9. These end members l8, I9 are pivoted respectively at 20, 21 to the welt bar I and the member I8 is provided with a stop 22 in advance of its pivot 20, whilst the end member I 9 is provided with a stop 23' towards the rear of its pivot 2|; these stops 22 and 23 are arranged to slide along the inner faces of fixed guides 24, on the table I of the machine, which guides therefore serve to position the welt bar 'I endwise. It will therefore be seen that forward pressure on the end pegs 9 of the welt bar I (by the fork members II) tends to swing the end members I8, I9' forward about their pivots 20, 2| and to cause the stop 22 to press against the inner face of its guide 24 and stop 23 to tend to move out of contact with the inner face of the other guide, with the result that the welt bar I is in the shogged position (shown in Figure 3) whereat the hooked ends of the welting instruments 8 are projected through the spaces between the needles 4 in line with the sinkers indicated in broken lines at 5. Upon the welt bar being retracted by the forked levers I I, pressure of the levers on the pegs 9 'isin the reverse direction with a result that immediately the welting instruments are clear of the needles, stop 23 is forced (by the action of the fork levers II) against its guide member 24 and causes the welt bar I to be shogged to the extent of half a needle space so that the welting instruments 8 become disposed in line with the needles (as shown in Figure 4) instead of in line with thespaces between the needles. At this stage therefore the welting instruments are out of line with the knocking-over bits 6 which may therefore be raised if desired without fouling the welting instrumentsr l At a subsequent stage, i. e. when a welt stick 25 has been placed on the fabric F, movement of the welt bar 1 away from the needles 4 terminates, and said bar is then moved back towards the needles d. This movement is effected by areverse movement of the fork levers I I which imparts pressure to the pegs 9 in a direction towards the needles with the result that the stop 22 is forced against its guide bar 24 and causes the welt bar I to be shogged to the extent of half a needle space back to its initial attitude wherein the welting instruments 8 are again disposed in line with the spaces between the needles and in line with the sinkers 5 and knocking-over bits 6 as indicated in Figure 5. It will thus be appreciated thatwhen the welting instruments are advanced right up to the needles, the hooks of the instruments will pass through the spaces between the needles in the desired manner as indicated in Figure 3. Movement of the bar 1 towards the needle line is terminated by stops 28.

Suitable limit stops such for example as pegs 26 (see particularly Figure 6) fixed to the members I8, I9, and projecting into enlarged holes 27 in the body of the Welt bar are provided for limiting the pivotal movement between each member I8, [9' and the said body of the welt bar 1, thereby limiting the extent of the shogging movement.

We claim:

1'. In a Cottons patent or other straight bar knitting machine having a needle bar, a Welt bar, end membersthereon each pivoted to swing about an axis normal to the length of the welt bar, a stop on each. end member, said stop on one member being in advance of its pivot and that on the other member being at the rear of its pivot with reference to the needle bar, guides for engagement by the stops during movement of the welt bar towards and away from the needle bar, means for advancing the welt bar towards and retracting it from the needle bar, and said means acting on saidend members for imparting endwise movement to said welt bar.

2. In a Cottons patent or other straight bar knitting machine having a needle bar, a welt bar, end members thereon each pivoted to swing about an'axis normal to the length of the welt bar, a stop on each member, said stop on one member being in advance of its pivot and that on the other member being at the rear of its pivot with reference to the needle bar, uides for engagement by the stops during movement of the Welt bar towards and away from the needle bar, means for advancing the welt bar towards and retracting it from the needle bar, said means acting on said end members for imparting endwise movement to said welt bar, and limit stops for limiting the permissible endwise movement of the welt bar.

3. In a Cottons patent or other straight bar knitting machine having a needle bar, a welt bar, end members thereon each pivoted to swing about an axis normal to the length of the welt bar, a stop on each end member, said stop on one member being in advance of its pivot and that on the other member being at the rear of its pivot with reference to the needle bar, guides for engagement by the stops during movement of the welt bar towards and away from the needle bar, means for advancing the welt bar towards and retracting it from the needle bar, said means acting on said end members for imparting endwise movement to said welt bar, and limit stops for limiting the pivotal movement of the end members for limiting the permissible endwise movement of the welt bar.

4. In a Cottons patent or other straight bar knitting machine having a needle bar, a welt bar, end members thereon each pivoted to swing about an axis normal to the length of the welt bar, a stop on each end member, said stop on one member being in advance of its pivot and that on the other member being at the rear of its pivot with reference to the needle bar, guides for engagement by the stops during movement of the welt bar towards and away from the needle bar, means for advancing the welt bar towards and retracting it from the needle bar, said means acting on said end members for imparting endwise movement to said welt bar, and stop means limiting the permissible advancing movement of the welt bar.

5. In a Cottons patent or other straight bar knitting machine having a needle bar, a welt bar, end members thereon each pivoted to swing about an axis normal to the length of the welt bar, a

stop on each end member, said stop on one member being in advance of its pivot and that on the other member being at the rear of its pivot with reference to the needle bar, guides for engagement by the stops during movement of the welt bar towards and away from the needle bar, slotted means for advancing the welt bar towards and retracting it from the needle bar, and said slotted means acting on said end members, by peg-like projections on said members engaging in the slots of the slotted means, for imparting endwise movement to said welt bar.

6. In a Cottons patent or other straight bar knitting machine having a needle bar, a welt bar, end members thereon each pivoted to swing about an axis normal to the length of the welt bar, a stop on each end member, said stop on one member being in advance of its pivot and that on the other member being at the rear of its pivot with reference to the needle bar, guides for engagement by the stops during movement of the welt bar towards and away from the needle bar, means for advancing the welt bar towards and retracting it from the needle bar, said means acting on said end members for imparting endwise movement to said welt bar, and peg and slot stop means for limiting the permissible endwise movement of the welt bar.

7. In a Cottons patent or other straight bar knitting machine having a needle bar, a welt bar, operating means for advancing the welt bar towards and retracting it from the needle bar, members displaceably mounted on the ends of the welt bar for engagement by the operating means to advance and retract the welt bar, and stop and guide means associated with said members whereby advancement and retraction of the welt bar by the operating means results also in displacement of said members relatively to the welt bar to shogg the welt bar endwise in opposite directions respectively.

8. For a Cottons patent or other straight bar knitting machine, a welt bar having members displaceably mounted one on each end thereof for engagement by operating means to advance and retract the bar to and from a needle bar, stop means on the members for engaging guides during advancement and retraction of the welt bar to cause displacement of the members relatively to the welt bar such that the welt bar is shogged endwise, and limit stops for limiting the permissible displacement of the members thereby limiting the permissible endwise shogging of the welt bar.

LEONARD BROWN. JOHN EDWARD LYNAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 239,341 Germany Oct. 12, 1911 841,176 France May 12, 1939 845,818 France Sept. 4, 1939 

